Book Review: Josefina

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Book Talk on the 2016-2017 National Children's Book Award Winners

Graphic Novel Review: Dead Balagtas Tomo 1

Dead Balagtas Tomo 1: Sayaw ng mga Dagat at Lupa by Emiliana Kampilan
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Of course I picked up Dead Balagtas because of the hype.

My verdict: it is a trope I have read before.

Geography and the changes brought by natural phenomena affect and define our identity. Babaylans are historical figures and it’s not surprising to find her or him in the opening pages of the novel. The use of folklore and legend to frame the role of women and to foreshadow conflicting views on gender roles and expectations is deliberate done. I have seen and read these ideas and concepts before. The graphic novel did not open up wonders nor rekindled memories, either painful or precious.

I did not find Emiliana Kampilan’s agenda new nor fresh, especially her gimmick of wearing a bayong with a smiley. I wonder if she has ever done comprehensive research on the history of the Makapili, the founders of this group and its leaders who, according to historians, have all but impeccable integrity. To dedicate the book to the nation while looking at her photo wearing a bayong to hide her face sends the wrong message, at least, to me.

One good thing I can say about Dead Balagtas is its timely message on relationships. Love wins. It’s about time readers, young and old like me, get to read and see more LGBT represented in Philippine literature.


View all my reviews

Book Review: 12:01

12:01
Russell Molina and Kajo Baldisimo
Anino Comics

In February, as the nation celebrated the 30th anniversary of the EDSA Revolution, Anino Comics and the EDSA People Power Commission launched a graphic novel set during the final years of Martial Law and the 1986 People Power Revolution.

It begins with four friends, bandmates, who miss the curfew. Afraid of being caught by the police, they seek refuge in an abandoned printing press, which one of them recognizes as his father’s former workplace. As he recounts the story of his father’s capture by the Metrocom, the reader gains an overview of law enforcement during the Marcos years. The story escalates when the bandmates leave their hiding place and encounter a jeepney driver searching for his daughter, missing after several rallies and mobilizations in Tondo, Manila. Alas, the police catches up with them, and a few good men heed the call of the brave. The story ends at a concert during the height of the EDSA Revolution, with the bandmates playing their song not just for freedom, but in memory of their fallen comrade.

What I enjoyed 

Molina is a gifted storyteller, honest and unpretentious in his use of words. What you read is what you get with Russell, and yet he is able to layer events and emotions into a multi-dimensional narrative. In 12:01, Molina is not just telling the story of four friends dreaming of making it big in the music industry; he is also showing us that we all have dreams that can be crushed or realized by forces larger than ourselves. Tragedy can happen anytime, especially during the Martial Law years, but he shows readers how people can live through such dangerous times. And so, we persist.

Baldisimo’s illustrations are dynamic. They are kinetic where they need to be, haunting and nostalgic in exactly the right panels, and dramatic and melancholic when the moment calls for it. The broken coffee cup. The old picture frame. The drumsticks left unmoved on top of a garbage can. His artwork enhances and enriches Molina’s skilled storytelling. And the book cover-- powerful.

What I hope it had

This is more of a suggestion than a critique, and I hope Anino Comics gets to read this review.

There are three songs in the graphic novel: Hala, Tahan Na, and Gising Na. These are seamlessly woven into the plot. But it would have been a great way to further engage teenage readers if guitar chords or tabs for these songs were included. Add a downloadable or streaming MP4/MP3 recording, and you’d have a multimedia material perfect for the digital native.

Rating: ★★★★☆ (Four bookmarks out of five)

Book Reviews: That Salty Air & The Sleeper and the Spindle

That Salty Air by Tim Sievert

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This graphic novel/novella made me feel uncomfortable. Maybe because, like the lead character, I am still coming to terms with my own issues on dealing with events beyond my control. What I liked about the novella is the presence of a loved one who is willing to stick around no matter what happens.



View all my reviews

The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


The plot twist took me by surprise. Gaiman's handling of language is beautiful, as always. His trademark bending of old tales to combine and reconstruct new ones never cease to amaze.



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Library Display: The Reading Table

My reading and library promotion strategies are in a roll!

Apart from sending recommended reads to the school community, I set up a table by the circulation counter. This table has selected readings from the Teacher Resource collection. Book covers have a special appeal. Then again, never judge the book by its cover thus, the annotated list of suggested good readings for the term.

Another book display I worked on last term was the graphic novels table. The low table in the reading area where couches  for easy reading are stationed has graphic novels splayed over it. Twice a month, the graphic novels are replaced by newer ones or those up on the shelf. Students read them at the library. And yes, they borrow the graphic novels too.

Graphic Novel Reviews: Hera The Goddess and her Glory & The Last Dragon

On top of my regular fiction reading, I've been feasting on graphic novels too. As a high school librarian servicing reading guidance to young adults, reading the literature available for them is part of the job. How fun!

Here are two reviews of graphic novels that may be of interest to the teenager in search of a good read this long term break.

Hera: The Goddess and Her Glory
By George O’Connor
First Second (an imprint of Roaring Brook)
$16.99
ISBN: 978-1596437241

George O'Connor's the Olympians' series is a must read. The library has Zeus, the first book in the series, and my review of it can be read here. Having read the second one, Hera: The Goddess and Her Glory makes me look forward to reading the next, which is Poseidon. I wonder what new discoveries would I encounter from O' Connor's version of Poseidon's life story. This is O' Connor's strength as a storyteller. He is able to fuse together a new story from the old classics.

In Hera, O' Connor depicted her as the wife Zeus truly deserves. When she agreed to marry Zeus, she knew what she was getting into and so, she was prepared to attack,  counter and handle every philandering act her husband committed. In my eyes, she is no longer the mere jealous wife who acted on anger and resentment. She is the smart, sophisticated and wise woman worthy to be Olympus' queen.

Much of what Heracles is today in myth and legend, is to Hera's credit. She's a winner in more ways than one as she was able to bring out the best in Heracles despite her intense emotions of jealousy and anger. I liked the ending too because Hera is the only Greek goddess who can make Zeus doubtful and suspicious. The King of the Gods has an insecurity, after all.

Photo source: http://blog.schoollibraryjournal.com/afuse8production/2011/08/19/review-of-the-day-hera-by-george-oconnor/

The Last Dragon
By Jane Yolen and illustrations by Rebecca Guay
Published by Dark Horse Books

ISBN: 978-1595827982

The dragons are back! After years of living safely from the terror of dragons, a seaside village comes face to face with the fire breathing demon of legends. Two unlikely heroes,  a daughter of a herbalist and a village truant saved the day by simply trusting on each others wits and wisdom. Tansy, the female lead character shines as the woman behind her man's success. Guay's illustrations are rich in color and detail. She used sepia, brown, red and orange as prevailing colors that evoke a legendary and fiery atmosphere to the whole story.

Yolen worked on the old formula of the happily every after. Dragons be gone. Dragons are back. People are terrified. A maiden pursues the truth. A flawed hero is put to the test. They fall in love. They slayed the dragon. The end. But. But. But.

Yolen's narration is true to form in the fantasy tradition. Her use of language fits beautifully to the genre. Her plot is tight and no loose ends dangle in the sides. She knows her young adult readers well enough by creating characters that complement each other. This romance story is not for fools and the foolish. In The Last Dragon, we find a smart and sensitive young woman paired with a challenged hero who rose to the occasion.

Photo source: http://patesden.livejournal.com/85180.html

Four bookmarks out of five for these two graphic novels!

Dear SLIA: Graphic Novels in the Library

Way back in May of this year, Ms. Luvie De Leon an alumna of Far Eastern University, sent me a question over at Facebook: Ok lang po ba ang graphics na books sa GS library like Nancy Drew,Hardy Boys, etc.

This was my reply to her.

Yes. Pero, i-review mo ang collection development policy ninyo. Baka may statement roon na hindi kayo dapat mag-acquire ng graphic novels at comics. Isa pa, kailangan nag consult ka sa principal, academic coordinator at mga teachers bago mag pasya na bumili ng graphic novels. Pwede ka rin gumawa muna ng reading interest survey ng mga students. Alamin kung ano ang gusto nilang babasahin at format ng babasahin.

Kung positive ang response ng principal, coordinator, teachers at students sa graphic novels, mag-allot ka ng budget. Kung ok sa students, pero negative sa mga principal, coordinator at teachers, gumawa ka muna ng proposal kung saan naka-spell out ang dahilan bakit nais mong bumuo ng graphic novel collection.

Hindi rin basta-basta ang pagbuo or pagbili ng graphic novels para sa library. Hindi ibig sabihin na uso, gagawin na rin ng library. Pinag-iisipan ito at kasama dapat sa collection development program ang pagbuo mo ng graphic novel collection para sa library. Dadaan pa rin sa masusing pagpili ang pagbuo ng graphic novel collection.

More on library collection development in future posts.

Book Reviews of 2011

Here's a recall of the book reviews I posted in SLIA. Not bad. I should do more reviews in 2012.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

KISS Book Reviews: an assortment of book reviews from The Icemark Chronicles, The Cellist of Sarajevo, Odd and the Frost Giants, and The Wolves of Mercy Falls Trilogy

Numbers

And a slew of graphic novels review --

Beast

Brain Camp and Smile

Ghostopolis

Zeus: King of the Gods

My take on non-fiction quick reviews --

Study Skills for Teens

Graphic Novel Review: Beast

After reading a retelling of the classic Beauty and the Beast early this year, I was skeptical to pick up Marian Churchland's Beast, her first original graphic novel. Not another retelling please, so I told myself. Surprise! It was far from the classic folktale, but it was strangely familiar.


Beast by Marian Churchland

I think that did the trick - the familiar is mixed with the new and the modern.

Collette, a young sculptor was commissioned by a mysterious benefactor to carve from stone, the most precious marble, an image of the man who asked her to do the project. Collette found herself drawn to his story of love and loss that happened centuries ago.

The story is indeed shrouded in mystery. I had to suspend my disbelief and consider its genre to be truly convinced that reason is not the reading stance I need to take to appreciate the material. It is in fact, very emo, as my fourteen year old son told me. He enjoyed the graphic novel so easily relating to the lost love and unrequited affections of the Beast to his object of desire. Who needs logic when one speaks of love lost transcending time and space? Like Collette, I struggled with reality blurring with the mysterious.

Thanks to its fantastic illustrations of black and white and sepia. It is elegantly done. The gothic feel of the material is present from start to finish.

Three and half bookmarks over five.

School Library Display: Graphic Novels and Art Books Corner

One way to get teens reading -- book displays!

Having set up two shelves of graphic novels and art books increased readership and book circulation. Will make this a regular fixture in the library.

Back to Back Graphic Novels Review

I am back to blogging. The flu hit me hard over the past week and, following my doctor's advice, I took time to rest. Gave me so much to think about -- my health, nutrition and growing old. Enough said, here's a series of graphic novels review I promised posted in the blog for Teen Read Week 2011.


Brain Camp by Susan Kim, Laurence Klavan, Faith Erin Hicks

Camp Fielding is the ideal camp for teens whose parents wish them to become perfect. It's where smart kids go and those who are underachievers turn up clever and academically superior. Jenna and Lucas, belonging to the later, were sent to Camp Fielding to be reformed. Turns out that teens in Camp Fielding transform due to an out of this world experiment.

The storytelling is exciting and fast paced. Definitely, the characters are average teens many young adult readers can relate to. The way they deal with the problem at hand is reflective of what any teenager would do. The development of the romance between Jenna and Lucas is expected. The illustrations, which are rendered in the style of cartoons with sharp lines and dark colors as background makes for a good companion to the adventure and gruesome climax and turn of events.

The downside, the camp director is the villain. The adults are apprentice to the evil and alien experiment done on the teens.

Three book marks over five.

Smile by Raina Telgemeier

An autobiography of Raina Telgemeier about teeth, braces, dental drama and growing up. From middle grades to high school, Raina tells of her journey to self acceptance and self identity. Amazing how such a profound inner discovery could begin with a pair of broken teeth. The author-illustrator sure knows her young adult material that writing on a first hand experience could be so sincerely done! Great illustrations as well following the traditional comic book style of Archie.

I'm recommending the graphic novel for bibliotherapy. Four bookmarks out of five.

Graphic Novel Review: Ghostopolis

I'm under the weather. Still nursing a flu but the virus does not stop me from blogging. Here's my brief review on Ghostopolis by Doug Tennapel.

What is your image of God?

For creatures in Ghostopolis, God, or rather Jesus, is twelve feet tall, black and dressed in aviator attire. He built Ghostopolis for the dead, ghouls and ghosts, mummies and zombies, spectres and wil-o-the-wisp, skeletons and spirits. Lost souls who wandered accidentally or by choice in Ghostopolis are led by Joe, aided by the Skeleton King, to the "light".

This is not what Ghostopolis is about, but partly so.

It begins with Garth, a young boy whose incurable disease rendered him hopeless. Frank Gallows, a ghost hunter who sends the dead and the like back to Ghostopolis accidentally brought him there. Thanks to Claire Voyant, Frank had a chance at love and redemption. Garth is the hero of the day defeating the evil Vaugner from his rule of Ghostopolis.

What worked
The storyline is interesting and the way Tennapel weaved the plot to a climax is engaging. It's a story of hope, love and faith so its feel good ending is just right. I like the idea of a place for the dead and "creatures of the night". My imagination prompted me to believe this. Yes, a suspension of disbelief! There must be a place for the dead and creatures of Halloween. And souls who need to see the light are guided towards it. Thus, the sub plot of Joe is inserted. Garth is the chosen one and evil is vanquished.

There is also enough humor to go around. The illustrations helped visually in explaining the back stories of each character.

What did not work
There are some loop holes along the way. For example, Garth seeing his son, old and gray before leaving Ghostopolis needed further seeding earlier on. What made him saw his son? Is this a gift or reward for him? An assurance that his disease will be cured? That he will live to grow up and raise a family? These are some questions left unanswered.

I did not get that part. Perhaps, I should reread the graphic novel. Three bookmarks over five.

Graphic Novel Review: Zeus King of the Gods

For the next seven days, I will be posting reviews of graphic novels I've read so far. This is in congruence to the celebration of Teen Read Week. This year's theme is Reading for the FUN of it: Picture It @ your library. In the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) website, you would find support materials, neat ideas and promotional resources in celebrating Teen Read Week in your library.

So here's the blog's first graphic novel review. One down, seven more to go!

The Olympians: Zeus King of the Gods by George O'Connor

I was in fifth grade when I read about the creation of the world according to the Greeks. It was a strange story. My context was too limited to fully appreciate Gaea's love for her children and Chronus' abominable hate for his off springs. Then came Edith Hamilton in freshman college. Everything changed from there. Visiting Greece is an item in my bucket list I wish to cross out soon. For the meantime, I just have to satisfy myself with reading and viewing anything Greek in books, travelogues and documentaries.

Recently, I came upon George O'Connor's graphic novel, The Olympians: Zeus King of the Gods. The cover design is fierce. The image of a young Zeus holding his thunder amidst Titans and Cylopses promises an exciting read.

And it was, indeed!

O'Connor's visual storytelling, mixing shadows, clouds and a lot of indigo at the start of the novel creates intrigue. Chronus is up to no good. Gaea has her own sneaky ways of dealing with things. No wonder, the Olympians are complicated creatures. The Titans, Cyclopses and monsters seem to represent the natural catastrophes that beset the natural order of the universe. His illustrations at the opening pages suggest more than the story between Gaea and Chronus but the very process in which the physical world changes and continues to evolve.

Then came Zeus who looks, walks and talks very much like any mortal. He looks every inch a man, yet powerful and cunning. With his siblings, they fought and defeated Chronus, the evil father who took control of time and space. I like this rendition. The early Olympians working together to claim their place in the universe is a fresh depiction of the soap operatic way they're presented in movies and TV shows.

I also enjoyed the part where Chronus spits out his off springs relegating each to a part of the world where the gods became master of that domain. Poseidon landing in the sea. Hades falling in the underworld. Demeter flying down to farm and field. Zeus catching Hera from the skies. It was attraction at first sight. But we who are familiar with the Greek myths know that Hera had a tough time taming the King of the Gods.

I'm giving the graphic novel four bookmarks over five. The illustrations are well thought of. It bridged my imagination to constructs of the real and the physical world. The narration and storytelling are done with enough drama, emotion, promises of wonderful stories left untold. I want to get a copy of the other titles in the series.